Robinson, Jerry.

Biographical notes:

Jerry Robinson (1922- ) is an American comic book artist and cartoonist.

Robinson was born in Trenton, New Jersey in 1922 and studied journalism at Columbia University. Robinson is known for his work on Batman, which is where his career began in 1939 after meeting Bob Kane, creator of the then-new superhero. He has been credited with creating The Joker (whether alone or with Bill Finger and Bob Kane has been disputed) and assisting in the development Batman's sidekick, Robin the Boy Wonder.

During the 1940s and 1950s, Robinson also worked on comic books for Feature Comics, Harvey Comics and Marvel. He worked on The Green Hornet and tried his hand at an original superhero, Atoman for Spark Comics. Robinson also ghosted on Kerry Drake and the Lone Ranger . In 1953 Robinson launched his first newspaper strip, a science fiction piece entitled Jett Scott, which was syndicated by the New York Herald Tribune and lasted until 1955. He followed this with Still Life and a Sunday page for the New York Daily News entitled True Classroom Flubs and Fluffs (1964-1984). From 1977 to 1995, Robinson also produced Life with Robinson for the Chicago Tribune-New York News Syndicate.

Robinson has also written and illustrated books including The Comics: An Illustrated History of Comic Strip Art (1974). He has curated exhibitions in several countries and has been commissioned by the United Nations to produce exhibitions including a 2007-2008 exhibition for the 60th anniversary of the U.N.'s Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Robinson has been active in many professional organizations. He served as president of the National Cartoonists Society and the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists. Robinson was involved in the overseas tours NCS organized to entertain military personnel. Robinson received the Milton Caniff Lifetime Achievement Award from NCS in 2002 and received awards for Best Comic Magazine Artist (1956), Best Special Feature (1966) and Best Syndicated Panel (1964). He founded and was president of the Cartoonists and Writer’s Syndicate and was a board member for the International Museum of Cartoon Art. He has also received honors from the International Salon of Humor, International Pavilion of Humor in Montreal and at Comic-Con International in San Diego. He has also been involved with the Society of Illustrators and the Overseas Press Club and taught cartooning at the School of Visual Arts during the 1950s.

As of 2010, Jerry Robinson operated CartoonArts International and the Cartoonists & Writers Syndicate which included 550 artists from over 75 countries.

From the guide to the Jerry Robinson Papers, 1953-2009, (Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Libraries)

BIOGHIST REQUIRED Sherrill David Robinson was born January 1, 1922. He briefly attended Columbia University (1940-1941) to study journalism before leaving school to work with Batman creator Bob Kane as an inker and letterer for the book, and then at National Comics as a staff illustrator. Robinson was instrumental in creating many of the Batman secondary characters and villains.

Robinson was president of the National Cartoonists Society from 1967 to 1969 and served a two-year term as president of the Association of American Editorial Cartoonists starting in 1973. He was inducted into the Comic Book Hall of Fame in 2004 and received the Sparky Award for lifetime achievement from the Cartoon Art Museum in 2011. Robinson died in 2011 at the age of 89.

From the guide to the Jerry Robinson papers, 1942-1964, (Columbia University. Rare Book and Manuscript Library)